BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Aaniyah Nowden, 24, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of 36-year-old Justina Wallace in Birmingham. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty.
The Shooting
The incident occurred on July 7, 2023, at a home on the 3200 block of 17th Avenue North. Wallace, who was several months pregnant, was holding her toddler daughter while two of her sons stood nearby. Nowden, who was eight months pregnant herself, approached Wallace with a gun and fired, striking the victim. Wallace was transported to a hospital and died the following day.
Trial and Verdict
Nowden claimed self-defense, and her attorneys argued that Wallace was “aggressive” and “belligerent.” Prosecutors countered that Wallace posed no threat, stating she was unarmed and holding her child at the time of the shooting. Deputy District Attorney Jason Wilson said, “This defendant shot and killed a pregnant woman who was carrying nothing but her baby Sky in her arms. Justina had no weapon, no gun, she wasn’t attacking anybody.”
Nowden’s first trial ended in a mistrial due to an insufficient jury pool. In the subsequent trial, jurors found her guilty, leading to her life-without-parole sentence.
Additional Context
The father of Wallace’s toddler is reportedly also the father of Nowden’s child, who was born after the killing while Nowden was in custody.
